`Hopalong' Moe Will Wait Until End Of Season For Surgery

GROLLER

January 24, 1993|by KEITH GROLLER, The Morning Call

Call him Doug "Hopalong" Moe.

Despite reports in a Philadelphia newspaper and on various radio stations that have him leaving the Sixer bench for reconstructive knee surgery, the Sixers' head coach said before Friday's game that he probably will wait until the end of the season to have surgery performed on his achy, breaky knee.

Of course, before Friday's game, the Sixers had won three in a row and seven of nine. A few more performances like Friday's 109-91 loss to the Knicks might have Moe thinking of checking into the hospital to relieve at least some of his pain.

The perfect tonic for Moe's painful right knee has been his club's recent play. The Sixers have shown signs of being a respectable, competitive club in recent weeks with a 10-6 stretch that included two wins over the world champion Bulls.

People on the street actually began saying, "Hey, this team is fun to watch."

Moe's bleep-filled vocabulary and eye-to-eye debates with virtually every member of the club actually has spurred on some enthusiastic efforts. Manute Bol, Tim Perry and Armon Gilliam, early-season flops, have come around under Moe's "You Make Me Want to Shout" approach.

Rookie Clarence Weatherspoon has begun to remind people of a "Baby Barkley" with the way he finishes off breaks and goes to the basket with authority. Johnny Dawkins, who got into a heated shouting match with Moe during a recent road game, has begun to look like the "JD" that quarterbacked the 1989-90 club to the Atlantic Division title.

If he does have the reconstructive knee surgery (he already had it done on his left knee), long-time assistant Fred Carter would take the reins for approximately a month.

Carter clearly would enjoy the opportunity since he has been looking for a top post around the NBA for several years. Every time a Sixer head coach appears to be in trouble, Carter's name surfaces.

Rumors have it that he wasn't a happy camper when owner Harold Katz and former coach/G.M. Jim Lynam passed him over for Moe last spring when the Sixer shuffling began.

But having Carter take over now -- even on an interim basis -- would definitely sap the club of the Moe-mentum it has gathered in the past month. As painful as his knee may be, watching his team slip back to the dregs of its 3-11 start would probably hurt Moe a lot more.

PLAYOFF PUSH OR LOTTERY FLOP? Not everybody has been happy with the Sixers' recent signs of life. Many diehard fans are concerned that the team will win just enough to sneak into the playoffs, then lose in the first round while also losing the chance for a top draft pick.

Despite their 15-21 record, the Sixers aren't that far removed from a playoff slot as the season approaches the midway mark. Entering Friday's action, the Sixers were just a game and a half behind Indiana and Atlanta -- the teams that would have been tied for the No. 8 playoff spot in the Eastern Conference -- had the playoffs been set to start.

Clearly, management wants the playoffs for financial reasons. A few playoff gates would help to offset the losses incurred during the dog days of November and December when the Sixers were playing before less than half-houses of 7,330, 8,811 and 8,990 every night.

But a spot in the playoffs would mean the club would lose its first-round draft pick entirely.

It's too complicated to explain in the space allotted here, what with two Jayson Williams trades and all to explain. But it's basically a situation where the Sixers either miss the playoffs and get a lottery pick or make the playoffs but postpone their rebuilding process that clearly won't be complete until a dominant center is added.

Unless there's a mad dash of underclassmen into the draft, this year's crop is expected to be weak. However, the Sixers should still be able to get help even if they have to pick at No. 9 or No. 10 like last year.

What does a Sixer fan do?

First, as always, wish that Harold Katz sells the team. Then, hope the team continues its current stretch of decent play and winds up with 36 or 37 wins, but just shy of making the playoffs.

BY THE TIME HE FORGETS PHOENIX: No one was more miserable with the Sixers' sluggish start than guard Jeff Hornacek. It didn't help matters that while his new team sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Division, his old team -- the Suns -- were rising over the Pacific Division.

For weeks, it seemed as though every interview with Hornacek included a couple of responses that began with "When I was in Phoenix ... " or "With the Suns, we did ... "

Clearly, Hornacek, who took the trade very hard when it was announced, was longing for his old club and wished he was still playing in the Valley of the Sun.

Now that the sun has come out somewhat for the Sixers, Hornacek isn't reminiscing nearly as much.